I got to know four of our Republican gubernatorial candidates in front of a few thousand of their friends at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver recently. The Centennial Institute, which puts on what amounts to spring break for conservatives outside the D.C. Beltway, asked me to chat up Victor Mitchell, Steve Barlock, Doug Robinson and […]

President Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty Thursday, but the long-awaited decree was perplexing to advocates on both sides of the issue in Colorado, but not for two Colorado pastors who witnessed the signing in the Rose Garden.

The order, however, did little to decide the most contentious issues around religious liberty. It says nothing about religion as a basis for denying public accommodations or services for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer. It doesn’t address hiring practices that exclude single parents, because of an employer’s religious beliefs.

Under the order, religious organizations could theoretically get more involved in politics without risking their tax-exempt status, and the government might not be able to require health care plans to cover contraceptives, as Obamacare mandated.

Trump’s order, however, doesn’t carry the weight of law, and the administration hasn’t said how government agencies would carry out the president’s directive under current laws.

While his order strikes at the 1954 Johnson Amendment, which prevents tax-exempt churches from getting involved in politics, it does not repeal it.

Trump said he would direct the Internal Revenue Service to ease up on enforcing the amendment’s rules in the name of political free speech.

“You’re now in a position to say what you want to say … No one should be censoring sermons or targeting pastors,” Trump said.

Two Colorado pastors were among a group of Christian leaders invited to the White House Thursday.

“I don’t have to worry what I speak in the pulpit. I can speak my heart and not have to be afraid that they will take me to court or take away my 501(c)3 (charity status),” said the Rev. Christine Coleman of Denver-based Blazing Holy Fire Church.

“There can be no victory without God. Great things were made today.”

Fr. Andre “Abouna” Mahanna had a “beautiful chat” under the balcony at the back of the White House, said Mahanna, pastor of St. Rafka Maronite Catholic Church in Lakewood.

“I think the president succeeded and reasserted the foundational Judeo-Christian principles of our American way of life,” he said. “… The rules of the president are assuring the nation we are one nation under God, people of prayer in America and people who choose not to pray.”

The Rev. Brady Boyd, senior pastor of New Life Church, said he’s never felt constrained by the Johnson Amendment, even when that message touches on or is informed the political arena. But such a topic is never at the core of his message, though, he said.

“We’ve always had mandate to put aside personal preferences to preach a greater truth,” said Boyd, who said he had never endorsed a political candidate. “I feel like pastors have a sacred duty to preach the scriptures. We have a greater truth to proclaim than politics and I’ve always felt the freedom to do it. When people hear a sermon at New Life Church, they’re “going to hear a lot about Jesus and not a lot about politics.”

He doesn’t expect much of a change.

“There are pastors in our city who have endorsed candidates and would speak out on a particular political party and they’ve done that in spite of the law,” he said. “I think pastors feel pretty emboldened to speak out about what they feel called to speak about.

“I can honestly say in the 20-plus years of pastoring I’ve never stood in the pulpit and had one thought about the IRS.”

The Family Policy Alliance, the public policy arm of Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family, said the president could only do so much, and that Congress needs to step up.

“Part of religious freedom means not being forced to fund practices that directly conflict with one’s sincerely held beliefs,” said Paul Weber, the alliance’s president and CEO.

“This means taxpayer-funded elective abortion, including abortifacient drugs, must end, including taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. This also means that the Trump Administration must ensure that employers and charities like Little Sisters of the Poor are no longer required to fund contraceptives and abortifacient drugs that conflict with their beliefs through employee healthcare plans.”

Today President Trump signed an executive order allowing religious orgs to endorse political candidates and expand participation in politics pic.twitter.com/jwmqJYdr93

The curbs on insured contraceptives struck a sour note with Democrats who have worked to advance issues around reproductive rights.

Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, a declared candidate for Congress next year, sponsored bipartisan legislation awaiting the governor’s signature, to allow women to get a year’s supply of a prescribed contraceptive with one visit to a pharmacy.

“Trump and the Republicans in Congress are waging all-out war on Coloradans, and especially Colorado women, with today’s repeal of the (Affordable Care Act), and now this ridiculous executive order legalizing discrimination,” she said. “The executive order allows corporations to discriminate against people based on their religion, sexual orientation or gender, and it dangerously jeopardizes access to contraception and other reproductive healthcare for all women in Colorado.

“I’ve been fighting for better access to contraceptives and reproductive services for my whole career, and I’ll continue to do so when I get to Washington.”

This is shaping up to be a pivotal week for LGBTQ Coloradans on discrimination, religious liberty and the state hate crime law.

Tuesday, Democratic members of Congress, including all of Colorado’s members, agreed to protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination under civil rights protections.

Thursday, President Trump is expected to sign an executive order expanding religious liberty laws, which could allow what LGBTQ advocates think is blatant discrimination by denying services or restricting restrooms or locker rooms against transgender people.

But Wednesday was a day to savor for One Colorado, the state’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group.

Gov. John Hickenlooper signed bipartisan House Bill 1188 to add sexual orientation and physical and mental disabilities to the state’s hate-crime law against harassment.

“I feel great about passing this bill,” said Rep. Mike Foote, D-Lafayette, a deputy Boulder County prosecutor who first introduced the bill. “Protecting the disability and LGBTQ communities from hate-based harassment is so important and meaningful.”

The new law also upgrades the offense from a class 3 to a class 1 misdemeanor, increasing the maximum penalties from six months in jail and a $750 fine to 18 months and $5,000.

“I’m proud of this bill,” said Senate sponsor Don Coram, R-Montrose, who gave the bill the Republican muscle it needed to pass. “By offering the same protections to these groups that we extend to those already covered, we can encourage more victims to come forward and report the crimes against them.

“More Coloradans will feel secure today.”

House Bill 1188 passed the Senate, 23-12, on April 11, after passing the House, 48-15, on March 15.

The bill was co-sponsored in the Senate by Democrat Dominick Moreno of Commerce City.

“We applaud Gov. Hickenlooper for protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Coloradans and people living with disabilities,” Daniel Ramos, the executive director of One Colorado, said.

“The widespread, bipartisan support for House Bill 1188 proves that protecting Colorado’s most vulnerable populations is not a partisan issue. This was a common-sense measure that strengthens protections for our communities and we are excited for it to become law. We thank Rep. Mike Foote, Sen. Dominick Moreno and Sen. Don Coram for their leadership in bringing this bill forward.”

The legislative session has only a month left, but there was no way to make it through without a standoff on religious liberty. Events on both sides will stoke the debate Tuesday and Wednesday. The topic is timely. Wednesday the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee will hear Senate Bill 283, which seeks a […]

Every year we see an article about legislators running the same bills year after year, just to see them killed in committee. There is usually a section in the article regarding “the cost” of running these bills, obviously trying to get the reader to question why we do this in the Legislature. Let me be very blunt: we run these bills because it is the right thing to do, because citizens elected us to fight these fights and because in the end we all believe we will persevere.

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